Pit bulls which had attacked a child last year were returned to their owner so they could attack this guy

PENNSYLVANIA -- When the first pit bull charged him, Sam Hilbert froze with fear. He said he didn't see the second pit pull until it chomped onto his leg. Together, the two dogs dragged him toward a fence, where a third dog waited..

"I was screaming," Hilbert told Lehigh County Judge Maria L. Dantos. "They dragged me six to eight feet. It was painful."

Hilbert, 44, of Allentown was bitten on his head, arms and both legs. He received numerous stitches and shots.

 

He was in court Thursday to attend the sentencing hearing of Gina Aquino, the dogs' owner. Noting that it was the second time the pit bulls — Fire and Ice — had attacked someone, Dantos sentenced Aquino to one to 23 months in the Lehigh County Jail.

"I'm sorry this happened to you," Aquino told Hilbert, weeping. "I never meant for this to happen to anybody."

Aquino, 34, pleaded guilty in October to owning dangerous dogs, as defined by the state Department of Agriculture. The charges stemmed from a Feb. 23 incident outside Aquino's West Lexington Street home in Allentown.

Witnesses said that the dogs escaped from Aquino's yard and mauled Hilbert. The attack continued until a man pulled the pit bulls off Hilbert, just as police arrived.

Court records say Aquino had been previously cited for harboring dangerous dogs, after Fire and Ice attacked a woman and a child in December 2013. As a result of that case, the dogs were supposed to be muzzled or secured with a leash when they were outside.

Aquino was not home at the time of the attack. She told Dantos that she knew the dogs were supposed to be muzzled and did not know how they got out of the house.

"This is not the first time they did this," Dantos told her. "What did you think was going to happen?"

Aquino appeared in court without a lawyer. Fire and Ice were relinquished to the Lehigh County Humane Society after the attack, and were destroyed.

As part of the sentence, Dantos ordered Aquino to pay a $500 fine and complete 50 hours of community service. She also ordered her to undergo substance abuse and mental health evaluations.

Dantos said Aquino will also be ordered to pay Hilbert's medical bills, which have not been tabulated yet.

Hilbert told the judge that he's still recovering from his injuries, and that he was glad Aquino would serve time behind bars.

"I'd like to see her suffer the way I did," he said.

After the hearing, Hilbert said he hoped the case would serve as a lesson to other dog owners in Allentown.

"People should keep their dogs on a leash, instead of letting them loose."

(MCall - Dec 11, 2014)